💚 The Richard L. Diver Endowed Research Fellowship Fund
Funding Hope for Cholangiocarcinoma (Bile Duct Cancer)
🔍 About the Disease
Cholangiocarcinoma is a rare and aggressive cancer that forms in the bile ducts connecting the liver, gallbladder, and small intestine. It often progresses silently, going undetected until it reaches advanced stages. Fewer than 20% of patients are eligible for curative surgery
Less than 5% survive three years after diagnosis
Global cases are rising, and effective treatments remain limited
Predicted by 2040 that it will be the third leading cause of death
💙 Why We’re Doing This: In Memory of Rich
In November 2020, Rich Diver was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma. He bravely endured over 50 medical procedures and 200+ days in the hospital — most at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). The extraordinary staff on MSK’s 18th floor became Rich’s second family. Throughout it all, Rich remained full of grace and gratitude, inspiring everyone he met. He believed in making the world better — and this fund honors that legacy.
🧬 The Vision: A Fellowship to Drive Change
We are raising funds to establish the Richard L. Diver Endowed Research Fellowship Fund at MSK. Under the leadership of surgeon Dr. Bill Jarnigan, this fellowship will focus on research, education, and patient care in hepatobiliary cancers, with a special emphasis on cholangiocarcinoma.
💡 What the Fellowship Will Do
Every two years, this fellowship will support a full-time researcher to:
✅ Advance precision diagnostics and immunotherapy
✅ Investigate the causes and risk factors
✅ Improve early detection and prevention
✅ Conduct clinical research for new, effective treatments
🌱 What Makes It Endowed? An endowed fund is permanent and self-sustaining. Your donation is invested — and each year, the interest earned funds this critical research in perpetuity. This means your impact lasts forever. Goal: $1.5 million to endow the fellowship and transform lives.
🙌 How You Can Help
By contributing, you are:
🔬 Supporting the next generation of cancer researchers
📘 Fueling life-saving education and discovery
💛 Offering hope to families facing the unimaginable
💌 How to Donate
Online:
https://giving.mskcc.org/events/diver-golf-tournament
By Check:
MSK Office of Development
Attn: Brooke Bifulco
P.O. Box 27106
New York, NY 10087
Via Donor Advised Fund (DAF):
📞 Brooke Bifulco: 646-935-9153
📧 [email protected]
MSK EIN: 13-1924236
Donations are 100% tax deductible
💚 Strength in Community. Hope in Research. Thank you for standing with us in this life-saving mission. For more information , call Samantha at 302-893-3823 or email at [email protected]
